Warriors’ Patrick McCaw to miss at least three games with spine injury

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Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw lays on the court in pain as teammates Jordan Bell, left and Nick Young check on his condition after falling hard to the floor late in the third quarter following a Flagrant 1 foul by Sacramento Kings’s Vince Carter in an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif. McCaw was taken off the court on a stretcher. The Warriors won 112-96. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SACRAMENTO — Warriors second-year guard Patrick McCaw will miss at least three games after suffering a lumbar spine contusion stemmed from a hard fall in Saturday’s win against the Sacramento Kings.

Nonetheless, the Warriors said McCaw released from UC Davis Medical Center on Sunday afternoon after preliminary X-ray, CT scan and MRI exams were all clear. The Warriors said preliminary reviews also showed no structural damage or neural disruption. McCaw plans to be re-examined by a specialist on Thursday.

That timeline coincides with the Warriors (55-21) playing the Phoenix Suns (19-58) on Sunday at Oracle Arena followed by a two-game trip to Oklahoma City (Tuesday) and Indiana (Thursday). The Warriors then play on Saturday against New Orleans at Oracle Arena, though it’s too early to say if McCaw will return by then. McCaw is not expected to travel on the Warriors’ two-game trip, though those plans are not definitive.

A handful of Warriors coaches and teammates visited McCaw at the hospital late Saturday night, including head coach Steve Kerr.

McCaw drove to the basket for a layup and received a hard foul mid-air by Kings forward Vince Carter, which was later determined to be a flagrant foul 1. McCaw immediately screamed in pain and rolled over on the floor after also nursing a lower back contusion the previous week. As McCaw stayed motioneless on the ground for about five minutes, Warriors trainer Drew Yoder and Kerr attended to him. Warriors and Kings players also did the same.

Although Kerr was upset with Carter initially for committing the foul, Kerr consoled Carter as the two stood close to McCaw underneath the basket. After the game, Carter addressed the situation with Kerr and his coaching staff.

“It’s an unfortunate play. I know Vince’s spirit and his heart. I don’t believe it was intentional at all,” Warriors forward Kevin Durant said. “It looked like he was just caught in the play and wanting to get out of the way. Pat was coming so far. Nobody in our locker room thinks Vince did it on purpose.”

Regardless, paramedics soon carried McCaw out on a stretcher. After fans at Golden 1 Center gave a respectful standing ovation and a round of applause, several Warriors and Kings players huddled underneath the basket. After he was taken to UC Davis, McCaw eventually regained sensation after feeling numbness when he landed.

McCaw has averaged 4.0 points on 40.9 percent shooting in 16.9 minutes through 57 games, and has received praise from the Warriors for his defense and attitude. The 22-year-old McCaw, who enters this offseason as a restricted free agent, had previously missed 13 games from mid February to mid March because of a fractured left wrist.

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